Archive for the ‘Tough_Mudder’ Category

“Caelin White knows he will spend 24 hours trudging through layers of ice-cold mud and climbing 12-foot walls, one after another.

Possibly while carrying a truck tire.

What he doesn’t know is in what order he will have to tackle these obstacles, and just how many times he will actually finish the 16-kilometre course as part of the World’s Toughest Mudder race in Englishtown, N.J.

White, 33, left Winnipeg on Wednesday and will start racing Saturday at 9 a.m. to complete the Tough Mudder obstacle course as many times as possible before 10 a.m. on Sunday.

The doctoral student in clinical psychology at the University of Manitoba is racing to raise awareness of mental health — specifically the stigma placed on those with mental health issues, and a lack of access to services.

“This obstacle course that I’m running is like a perfect parallel for what people in Canada have to endure to get mental health services, it’s just obstacle after obstacle,” he said.

White, who serves on the board of the Manitoba Psychological Society, started the Mind Your Mental Health campaign to align with his Tough Mudder race.

AN : having lived for a decade and a half in Winnipeg I understand the psyche of the people and the climate conditions there. Lets put it this way….Siberia, Russia is warm compared to Winnipeg.

But what that brings out in you , as demonstrated in this article and profile, is tough people who can tough it out and sharing, caring people because they recognize the essentials of life and the need for cooperation.

The ” Tough Mudder ” race in its various iterations has become a phenomceleb in the endurance style race / competitions.It has been billed as : “Tough Mudder – Probably the Toughest Event on the Planet ” http://toughmudder.com/ .

“Tough Mudder events are hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle courses designed by British Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. With the most innovative courses, half a million inspiring participants, and more than $3 million raised for the Wounded Warrior Project, Tough Mudder is the premier adventure challenge series in the world.”

How does this profile / article fit in with thought leadership ? Precisely because we may think only that creative and critical thinking is the main forms of thought leadership. I would submit that the use of the mind , in testing the limits of coordination with physical endurance and stamina, is also a significant indicator of mental capabilities. Mind over matter , if you will, matters too !

“We have met the enemy and the enemy is us.”

I applaude Caelin White and others who challenge themselves for causes like mental illness etc and do things that test the limits so that others can have hope and help.